Today’s Smerconish Poll

Yesterday’s Poll Results

Associated Press

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Lead Story

n a few short years, Ozempic, Mounjaro and their kin rose from relative obscurity to superstardom as they became the new hotshot drugs for weight management. Since that time, millions have flocked to the injections to lose weight.

Now, a flurry of studies, including a large-scale paper out in Nature Medicine this week, have found that the so-called GLP-1 drugs hold promise for treating a wide range of health conditions as well, including dementia, addiction and cardiovascular disorders. But the Nature Medicine study also points to previously unknown risks, writes Ziyad Al-Aly, a clinical epidemiologist from Washington University in St. Louis and the lead author on the paper.

Al-Aly cautions that despite the great promise of GLP-1 drugs and their effectiveness for weight loss, they are not cure-alls for obesity and metabolic disease. “The drugs need to be taken long term to sustain their effectiveness and prevent rebound weight gain,” he notes.

Amanda Mascarelli
Senior Health and Medicine Editor

Politics + Society

• What is seditious conspiracy, which is among the most serious crimes Trump pardoned?

  Amy Cooter, Middlebury

  Historically, it has been difficult to convict people of conspiring to overthrow the government or stop its normal functioning.

• Many more older people are leaving prison and face unmet needs for housing and health care − as well as a tangle of groups trying to help

  Angela S. Murolo, St. Francis College; Lena M. Campagna, Caldwell University

  Parolees over 50 tend to have health issues and strained family ties. They’re less likely to reoffend after prison but need more help getting back on their feet.

Science + Technology

• FDA bans Red 3 dye from food and drugs – a scientist explains the artificial color’s health risks and long history

  Lorne J. Hofseth, University of South Carolina

  Over 35 years after the first study linking Red 3 to thyroid cancer in rats was published, the US is beginning to wean it out of foods and drugs.

• Meet phosphine, a gas commonly used for industrial fumigation that can damage your lungs, heart and liver

  Aliasger K. Salem, University of Iowa

  While scientists still aren’t sure how phosphine wreaks so much havoc on the body, some are developing medications that can help mitigate the harm it causes.

Environment + Energy

• After the fire: Rain on wildfire burn scars can trigger deadly debris flows – a geologist explains how

  Jen Pierce, Boise State University

  In the Los Angeles area, the potential for rain on land burned by a series of devastating fires has people on edge.

Health + Medicine

Ozempic and similar weight loss drugs may lower risk of 42 health conditions, but also pose risks

Ziyad Al-Aly, Washington University in St. Louis

Research shows that people who take these weight-loss medications may have a lower risk of dementia and numerous other health conditions.

Trending on site

• Electrolyte beverages can help your body stay balanced − but may worsen symptoms if you’re sick

• Firefighting planes are dumping ocean water on the Los Angeles fires − why using saltwater is typically a last resort

• Trump’s executive orders can make change – but are limited and can be undone by the courts

The Stargate Project announcement was quite a show and let’s think about this for a moment. The brave new world of AI Infrastructure expansionism is upon us paving the way for ever bigger and more capable large language models (LLMs).

• But once you get the ball rolling of the Machine Economy, it cannot be stopped.
• Let’s be clear – Stargate (its own company) is the most impressive AI infrastructure project we’ve seen in the United States, ever.
• Although there is some doubt whether the $500 Billion number is accurate, or even realistic. Sam Altman has a history of over-promising and under delivering already, not unlike Elon Musk. If the funding is mostly raised via third party debt, what does that even mean?

Why Ranked Choice Voting is superior to Condorcet Voting as a tool for political depolarization

Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) is one of the fastest-growing voting reforms in the United States. Twenty-three years ago, the only US jurisdiction using RCV was Cambridge, Massachusetts, home to fewer than 60,000 registered voters. Today, RCV is used for public elections in 50 American jurisdictions, including 2 states, 3 counties, and 45 cities, reaching nearly 14 million voters. While new statewide adoptions fell short this past November, Ranked Choice Voting made net gains with wins in Washington, DC and Oak Park, IL, and the state of Alaska and the city of Bloomfield, MN voted to continue using RCV for their elections, too. Despite the speed bumps, for more than two decades we’ve seen a long, steady march toward greater RCV adoption nationwide.

As Ranked Choice Voting has grown in popularity, its benefits have become progressively more apparent. Numerous studies have found the adoptions of Ranked Choice Voting to have boosted turnout, promoted campaign civility, and diversified representation. Moreover, the foremost criticism of RCV – that it is too “complicated” for voters – is being steadily dispelled by the mounting real life experience of voters actually using it. As survey after survey demonstrates, once voters cast a RCV ballot, they tend to like it, understand it, and want to keep it.

Today’s Smerconish Poll

Yesterday’s Poll Results

Associated Press

Links to PM Headlines

Links to other Headlines

Lead Story

n a few short years, Ozempic, Mounjaro and their kin rose from relative obscurity to superstardom as they became the new hotshot drugs for weight management. Since that time, millions have flocked to the injections to lose weight.

Now, a flurry of studies, including a large-scale paper out in Nature Medicine this week, have found that the so-called GLP-1 drugs hold promise for treating a wide range of health conditions as well, including dementia, addiction and cardiovascular disorders. But the Nature Medicine study also points to previously unknown risks, writes Ziyad Al-Aly, a clinical epidemiologist from Washington University in St. Louis and the lead author on the paper.

Al-Aly cautions that despite the great promise of GLP-1 drugs and their effectiveness for weight loss, they are not cure-alls for obesity and metabolic disease. “The drugs need to be taken long term to sustain their effectiveness and prevent rebound weight gain,” he notes.

Amanda Mascarelli
Senior Health and Medicine Editor

Politics + Society

• What is seditious conspiracy, which is among the most serious crimes Trump pardoned?

  Amy Cooter, Middlebury

  Historically, it has been difficult to convict people of conspiring to overthrow the government or stop its normal functioning.

• Many more older people are leaving prison and face unmet needs for housing and health care − as well as a tangle of groups trying to help

  Angela S. Murolo, St. Francis College; Lena M. Campagna, Caldwell University

  Parolees over 50 tend to have health issues and strained family ties. They’re less likely to reoffend after prison but need more help getting back on their feet.

Science + Technology

• FDA bans Red 3 dye from food and drugs – a scientist explains the artificial color’s health risks and long history

  Lorne J. Hofseth, University of South Carolina

  Over 35 years after the first study linking Red 3 to thyroid cancer in rats was published, the US is beginning to wean it out of foods and drugs.

• Meet phosphine, a gas commonly used for industrial fumigation that can damage your lungs, heart and liver

  Aliasger K. Salem, University of Iowa

  While scientists still aren’t sure how phosphine wreaks so much havoc on the body, some are developing medications that can help mitigate the harm it causes.

Environment + Energy

• After the fire: Rain on wildfire burn scars can trigger deadly debris flows – a geologist explains how

  Jen Pierce, Boise State University

  In the Los Angeles area, the potential for rain on land burned by a series of devastating fires has people on edge.

Health + Medicine

Ozempic and similar weight loss drugs may lower risk of 42 health conditions, but also pose risks

Ziyad Al-Aly, Washington University in St. Louis

Research shows that people who take these weight-loss medications may have a lower risk of dementia and numerous other health conditions.

Trending on site

• Electrolyte beverages can help your body stay balanced − but may worsen symptoms if you’re sick

• Firefighting planes are dumping ocean water on the Los Angeles fires − why using saltwater is typically a last resort

• Trump’s executive orders can make change – but are limited and can be undone by the courts

The Stargate Project announcement was quite a show and let’s think about this for a moment. The brave new world of AI Infrastructure expansionism is upon us paving the way for ever bigger and more capable large language models (LLMs).

• But once you get the ball rolling of the Machine Economy, it cannot be stopped.
• Let’s be clear – Stargate (its own company) is the most impressive AI infrastructure project we’ve seen in the United States, ever.
• Although there is some doubt whether the $500 Billion number is accurate, or even realistic. Sam Altman has a history of over-promising and under delivering already, not unlike Elon Musk. If the funding is mostly raised via third party debt, what does that even mean?

Why Ranked Choice Voting is superior to Condorcet Voting as a tool for political depolarization

Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) is one of the fastest-growing voting reforms in the United States. Twenty-three years ago, the only US jurisdiction using RCV was Cambridge, Massachusetts, home to fewer than 60,000 registered voters. Today, RCV is used for public elections in 50 American jurisdictions, including 2 states, 3 counties, and 45 cities, reaching nearly 14 million voters. While new statewide adoptions fell short this past November, Ranked Choice Voting made net gains with wins in Washington, DC and Oak Park, IL, and the state of Alaska and the city of Bloomfield, MN voted to continue using RCV for their elections, too. Despite the speed bumps, for more than two decades we’ve seen a long, steady march toward greater RCV adoption nationwide.

As Ranked Choice Voting has grown in popularity, its benefits have become progressively more apparent. Numerous studies have found the adoptions of Ranked Choice Voting to have boosted turnout, promoted campaign civility, and diversified representation. Moreover, the foremost criticism of RCV – that it is too “complicated” for voters – is being steadily dispelled by the mounting real life experience of voters actually using it. As survey after survey demonstrates, once voters cast a RCV ballot, they tend to like it, understand it, and want to keep it.

How Trump plans to dig in, cement power, and crush competition

Preserving electoral competition is about more than elections
While many complex challenges lie ahead, preventing entrenchment and preserving electoral competition and the ability to challenge autocrats in fair and free elections in the future should be a top priority.

Preserving electoral competition means more than going through the motions of holding elections. After all, authoritarian states regularly conduct ceremonial elections to maintain the appearance that their citizens live in a democracy. The giveaway is that incumbents almost never lose — which isn’t happenstance. Their elections are inconsequential because citizens are unable to muster any serious opposition.

Modest visions of an open-source AI future

r1 should be seen as a reaffirmation of something that has long been obvious: open-source frontier AI is going to be relevant for at least the foreseeable future if not much longer, and it is going to be an important vector in the broader technological and economic competition between the US and China. Open source is, therefore, an important part of American competitiveness and national security. Some people will probably still try to deny this reality, but r1 makes their job even harder.

I prefer to think of the DeepSeek release as an invitation rather than a threat. America needs to think bigger and more boldly about the things our AI systems—closed and open alike—might make possible at home and around the world.

No longer should we pretend that open-source is something that can be willed away through regulation or top-down control. Nor should we indulge the simplistic idea that open source involves “giving away our technology to China.” And no longer should be pretend that a fierce competition with China is something we can “avoid” due to fears of “AI arms race dynamics.”

World Models, Humanoids, Synthetic Data and Improved fine motor hand and agility marks a new beginning.  New Robot Arms race begins in 2025. With Deep Dive on Unitree.

The so-called ‘ChatGPT’ moment in robotics is nearly here roughly occuring in the 2025-2030 period. New training capabilities due to world models with innovations like Nvidia’s Cosmos and the collaboration like Genesis open up faster training capabilities using synthetic data that translates well for training robots and physical AI software that translates well to the real world.

This ChatGPT moment for robotics is enabled by a few trends:

• Improvements in the fine-motor control of the hands (arms) of general purpose Humanoid robotics
• Improvements in the agility of robots (e.g. Unitree, Boston Dynamics)
• Better world models for synthetic data training environments
• More funding for robotics, AI drones and national defense use cases
• Emergence of fast-learning robots due to physical AI advances

Trump has proposed making TikTok a joint venture—with 50 percent U.S. government ownership. So, Mr. President: Strike a deal if you can. Use every bit of leverage you have. We’ll be rooting for that. But remember why TikTok refused to consider a sale after you issued two executive orders telling them that they had to, or when Congress said much the same.

ByteDance will never sell TikTok, because TikTok is not a social media app with normal corporate incentives; it’s a weapon. America is the target of that weapon.

And in the meantime, the law must take effect. Because in our republic, it is the Congress that writes the law. If President Trump disagrees, he can try to change Congress’s mind.

American democracy operates by the Golden Rule.

He who has the money makes the rules.

The essence of the story is right. Each generation is dominated by an industry, which takes and then seizes power until another industry rises to take its place. Jefferson took power in the name of the “yeoman farmer,” Lincoln on behalf of northern industry. Franklin Roosevelt made us the arsenal of democracy. Barack Obama stood for technology.

Is intelligence (or sentiency) a birthright? In terms of intelligence, the answer is a resounding no. In the absence of nurture, there is no meaningful intelligence. Our big brains are useless if we don’t have the culture in which we learn and develop.

From the scientific standpoint, the lack of intelligence would make achieving sentiency a near impossibility. However, as I said, the science of sentiency is in its infancy and fails to take into account spiritual and metaphysical aspects, as well as the scientific discoveries that await us. So perhaps just as it is possible to be intelligent and lack sentiency, it is also possible to lack intelligence and be sentient.

In asking the question ‘Is the human species intelligent’, the limitation seems to be empathy.

Crypto is, in fact, about sending people money.

A lot of crypto folks weren’t too happy about TRUMP and MELANIA, believing that a stunt like this could undermine the respectability of crypto in general. Their interest in the matter is very simple to understand. Most crypto people — like me — hold Bitcoin, and probably Ether too. If crypto gains respectability and wide adoption by financial institutions, pension funds, etc., demand for Bitcoin and Ether will increase by a lot. This will cause BTC and ETH to go up enormously in price, enriching pretty much everyone in the entire crypto ecosystem.

On the other hand, the launch of new “memecoins” doesn’t enrich the average crypto holder. Yes, you can buy these coins and hope to make a profit. One bold and lucky investor turned $1 million into $120 million investing in TRUMP (though that number could go down if he holds onto it and it crashes). But in general, new memecoins like TRUMP and MELANIA don’t enrich crypto people nearly as much as increased adoption for the existing coins that they already own.

At January’s Consumer Electronics Show, NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang boldly proclaimed, “the Age of AI agentics is here.” Just days before, OpenAI’s Sam Altman echoed the chipmaker, blogging “We [OpenAI] believe that, in 2025, we may see the first AI agents “join the workforce” and materially change the output of companies.” AI agents are back in vogue.

For the non-technical, “agents” or “agentic AI” refers to AI equipped with not only intelligence, but the ability to autonomously solve complex, multi-step problems. In short, very smart bots.

If we examine social intelligence, there is little doubt that it was one of the most critical factors that led to the dominance of humans over other species. The reason we are no longer fending off predators on the planes of sub-Saharan Africa is that we learned how to work together and prosper together. While the cognitive ability to use tools and build dwellings was useful, it was the ability to maintain peaceful cooperation in relatively large groups of humans that led to success.

My realisation over the days researching this topic and then writing yesterday’s article is that we are perhaps in a time where the need for such human intelligence is not so apparent, and the need for there to be cooperative interactions (particularly in Western cultures) has diminished. If so, then what are the consequences of there being little requirement to develop the other, non-classical forms of intelligence?

At the White House Tuesday, SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son confidently predicted that “artificial superintelligence” will kick off America’s “golden age.” President Donald Trump beamed as Son, OpenAI’s Sam Altman and Oracle’s Larry Ellison announced a $500 billion investment in an American scheme to unlock the potential of super-powerful AI.

The goodwill didn’t last 24 hours.

Elon Musk, the close Trump adviser who has his own AI company and was notably not at the press conference, mocked the effort relentlessly online. “They don’t actually have the money,” he posted on X.

Today’s Smerconish Poll

Yesterday’s Poll Results

Associated Press

Politico

Axios

Vox

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On the first U.S. Inauguration Day in 1789, President-elect George Washington took the oath of office. That was all the Constitution required him to do that day. But he did something more:

“He gave a speech,” writes Claire Jerry, a political history curator at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. “Every president since has followed his example and delivered an inaugural address as part of the national celebration.”

There have been 59 inaugural addresses, including the one that Washington gave that day, Jerry tells us. “And while they may have differed in style and even specific subjects,” they all contain certain characteristics, ranging from calls to unify the country to reaffirming national values.

Jerry’s story is accompanied by photos of inauguration-related items from the museum’s collection. There’s a commemorative ceramic pitcher emblazoned with a quote: “We are all Republicans … all Federalists,” from Thomas Jefferson’s first inaugural address in 1801; a button commemorating the 2009 inauguration of Barack Obama features images of Obama and Abraham Lincoln; and the official program from Franklin D. Roosevelt’s 1933 inauguration bears the image of a sailing ship navigating rough, blue seas.

Each of these images captures themes conveyed in inaugural speeches. Will Donald Trump’s inaugural speech in Washington today hit the same notes as Thomas Jefferson, William McKinley and Barack Obama? At roughly noon today, we should find out.

Politics + Society

A brief history of presidential inaugural speeches, from George Washington to today

Claire Jerry, Smithsonian Institution

Inaugural addresses that newly minted presidents have given over the past 250 years have aimed to do several key things, including unify the country and establish the speaker’s qualifications for the job.

• Civil servants brace for a second Trump presidency

  Jaime L Kucinskas, Hamilton College

  Many federal employees fear they may end up in ethical binds, caught between the instructions of their bosses and their duty to serve the American people.

• Trump’s idea to use military to deport over 10 million migrants faces legal, constitutional and practical hurdles

  Cassandra Burke Robertson, Case Western Reserve University; Irina D. Manta, Hofstra University

  The president has vast authority over the armed forces, but using them to secure the border would quickly unleash legal chaos, say lawyers.

• Texas is already policing the Mexican border − and will play an outsize role in any Trump plan to crack down on immigration

  Dan DeBree, Texas A&M University

  Enforcing immigration law at the border is the federal government’s role. But in Texas, that job has increasingly been taken on by the state. That shift may be key to Donald Trump’s border plans.

• How Trump could try to stay in power after his second term ends

  Philip Klinkner, Hamilton College

  Though the 22nd Amendment prohibits Trump from being elected president again, it does not prohibit him from serving as president beyond Jan. 20, 2029. A schiolar of politics and history explains.

Science + Technology

• Astronauts on NASA’s Artemis mission to the Moon will need better boots − here’s why

  Jesse Rhoades, University of North Dakota; Rebecca Rhoades, University of North Dakota

  Wearing the wrong shoe on Earth can lead to injury. Researchers still need to figure out the physical consequences of spending a long time walking around on the Moon.

• What’s happening on RedNote? A media scholar explains the app TikTok users are fleeing to – and the cultural moment unfolding there

  Jianqing Chen, Washington University in St. Louis

  A digital media scholar and longtime RedNote user gives a firsthand account of US and Chinese social media users interacting on the app.

• Supreme Court upholds TikTok ban: 5 essential reads on the case and its consequences

  Eric Smalley, The Conversation; Matt Williams, The Conversation

  Whether the popular video app ends up sold, banned or untouched, the ruling in favor of the government’s national security claims has implications for free speech.

• Why is the sky blue?

  Daniel Freedman, University of Wisconsin-Stout

  The answer has to do with molecules.

Environment + Energy

• Neighbors and strangers pulled together to help LA fire survivors – 60 years of research shows these unsung heroes are crucial to disaster response

  Tricia Wachtendorf, University of Delaware; James Kendra, University of Delaware

  In emergencies, when every minute counts, research shows family, friends and neighbors are often saving lives. These local efforts go uncounted, yet they’re crucial.

Trending on site

• Firefighting planes are dumping ocean water on the Los Angeles fires − why using saltwater is typically a last resort

• Soaring wealth inequality has remade the map of American prosperity

• David Lynch exposed the rot at the heart of American culture

A theory that binds Trump with leading innovators, especially Elon Musk, is that you can bring tech and business talent and techniques together to take a wrecking ball to broken ideas and/or processes or entire agencies.

• This isn’t Trump’s instinctual motivation, aides say. He wants a strong stock market, slower inflation, low joblessness, the holy trinity of economic indicators.

But Musk, Marc Andreessen and a growing chorus of entrepreneurs and tech CEOs are fusing their “founder mode” mentality with Trump’s desire for fast growth.

• You have Silicon Valley’s best and brightest battling for bigger roles in reshaping government. Almost every CEO wants a slice of the action.

On a day like today, it’s worth reminding ourselves that it’s our money they are after

Capitalism differs from trade due primarily to its focus on profit. It brings in the concept of the mere presence of ‘capital’ leading to greater wealth – money making money. In some ways, while we have 3.6 billion people living in relative poverty globally, a system whereby those who already have wealth achieving greater wealth simply because they have wealth to begin with doesn’t make a lot of sense.

One would think that human civilisation would seek a system whereby it helps as many people as possible to achieve relative wealth. Alas, such a system has not made its way into the economic system, as of yet. Until it does, it is worth considering how to use our current capitalist system to affect change.

Even if such global consumer consciousness was not achieved, there is benefit at the local, community level of spending your money wisely. We know that money spent in the community and profit is generated by those who live in the community that the whole community prospers. The money stays in the community, as opposed to being sucked up by massive conglomerates and ends up in the international bank accounts of a few folks.

How political scientists misunderstood Trump and missed his appeal.

Trump did this by doing what academics are supposed to be expert in: recognizing that the popular understanding of some concept—in this case, populism—is actually constituted by two elements which are logically separable. In his more recent incarnation, Trump has held on to his disdain for longstanding norms and his populist belief in the unfettered prerogative of the majority. But he has also made more explicit than in the past that his political vision is open to supporters from every ethnic and religious group—and has been very shrewd in courting them with an aspirational vision of America.

Though the term is much-overused and often misapplied, the concept of populism remains the most accurate frame for understanding his actions: He believes that, as the rightful voice of the people, he should not suffer any artificial restrictions on his actions—whether by unwritten norms or by explicit limits on the powers of a president.

For the most part, the executive orders Trump announced in his Second Inaugural are tailor-made to support this vision. His promise to restore order to American cities will resonate among the poorer and more diverse segments of his electorate who are the prime victims of urban crime. His promise to restore free speech is broadly popular among voters without fancy degrees who feel that elites are using their arbitrary moral codes and linguistic conventions as cudgels to wield against them at will. Even his promise to “drill, baby, drill” is broadly popular among voters who are more focused on realizing their American Dream in the next few years than on containing the threat to the climate over the coming decades

The TikTok drama represents the crash of two powerful strains in American public life, a conflict that Trump has a flair for capitalizing on and even encouraging.

One is the full weight of America’s legal and democratic institutions — the Congress that overwhelmingly passed the law; the president who signed it; the Supreme Court that upheld it.

On the other side are Trump and TikTok: an app with 170 million upset American users, verging on an unruly mob, and a president with a drive to deliver populist “wins.”

For now its seems the digital crowd has the upper hand, in the latest, and maybe most potent, example of the new form of digital populism Trump has embraced.

Every conversation seems to circle back to how AI is transforming everything, from the newsroom to the classroom. Add in the persistent challenges of social media and a growing mental health crisis, and you’ve got the makings of what promises to be one of the most consequential Davos gatherings in years.

Among the most anticipated venues this year is Future House, a powerful collaboration between Human Change and Project Liberty. While Human Change focuses on reshaping the narrative around children’s mental health and digital well-being, Project Liberty, launched by Frank McCourt, is working to give people back control of their digital lives. Together, they’re convening experts and advocates to tackle some of our most pressing technological challenges. Their first session dives into how technology is fundamentally reshaping our sense of community.

The Democratic Party needs to become the reform and renewal party. It must stand on the side of ordinary Americans who are going to be abused by powerful interests like never before.

It must stand for economic growth and prosperity.

It must stand for national strength and the American flag.

It must have zero tolerance for the next Senator Menendez in its midst.

Lead Story

President Donald Trump issued a flurry of executive orders in his first hours back in the Oval Office aimed at undoing U.S. climate policies and boosting the fossil fuel industry.

After four years of Biden administration policies that sought to slow the pace of climate change, Trump’s actions sent the pendulum of U.S. climate actions swinging sharply back in the opposite direction once again, writes Joe Árvai, director of the Wrigley Institute for Environment and Sustainability at the University of Southern California.

It wasn’t always like this. Árvai explains how America got to this point, and how money, lies and even the creation of red vs. blue states have influenced politics and played on human psychology to make climate change a partisan issue.

Politics + Society

• Trump executive order attacks long-standing American principle of birthright citizenship

  Carol Nackenoff, Swarthmore College; Julie Novkov, University at Albany, State University of New York

  Since the earliest days of the nation, any person born on US soil is a US citizen.

• ‘The geezer game’ – a nearly 50-year-old pickup basketball game – reveals its secrets to longevity

  Richie Zweigenhaft, Guilford College

  A long-running pickup game in North Carolina – made up of ‘geezers’ with various political leanings – thrives by reducing conflict.

• Extreme heat, flooding, wildfires – Colorado’s formerly incarcerated people on the hazards they faced behind bars

  Shawhin Roudbari, University of Colorado Boulder; Shideh Dashti, University of Colorado Boulder

  More than 65% of formerly incarcerated people reported experiencing climate-related hazards, according to survey results.

• What is a migrant? What is ICE? 10 terms to help you understand the debate over immigration

  Ernesto Castañeda, American University; Daniel Jenks, University of Pennsylvania

  Immigration scholars break down some of the immigration terms that are likely to become common during the Trump administration’s first months.

Science + Technology

• Feeling political distress? Here are coping strategies a psychologist shares with his clients

  Jeremy P. Shapiro, Case Western Reserve University

  Politics in America have become more upsetting than ever for big chunks of the population, but there are ways to cope.

• Philanthropy provides $30B annually for science and health research − funding that tends to stay local

  Louis Shekhtman, Bar-Ilan University

  Nearly 40% of all gifts and grants and 60% of the total number of dollars given backed initiatives based in the foundation’s own state.

• Knowing less about AI makes people more open to having it in their lives – new research

  Chiara Longoni, Bocconi University; Gil Appel, George Washington University; Stephanie Tully, University of Southern California

  People with less AI literacy often see the technology as ‘magical’ and awe-inspiring

Environment + Energy

How the oil industry and growing political divides turned climate change into a partisan issue

Joe Árvai, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

The climate policy pendulum is swinging back again with Trump in office. Money, lobbying and talking about red vs. blue states all play a role in the political and public divide.

• Human use of fire has produced an era of uncontrolled burning: Welcome to the Pyrocene

  Stephen Pyne, Arizona State University

  Humans have become a geologic force by cooking the planet – using fire on a scale that is altering land, water, air and ecosystems.

Economy + Business

• Warning of ‘oligarchy,’ Biden channels Andrew Jackson

  Daniel Feller, University of Tennessee

  By warning of the threat oligarchy poses to the country, President Joe Biden tapped into a Democratic Party tradition begun in the mid-19th century.

Trending on site

• Trump’s executive orders can make change – but are limited and can be undone by the courts

• How Trump could try to stay in power after his second term ends

• Trump’s Jan. 6 pardon order ‘flies in the face of the facts’ of violent insurrection, retired federal judge explains

Lead Story

Trump announced a long list of planned executive orders and other measures that will restrict entry into the U.S. for asylum-seekers, refugees and migrants trying to cross the U.S.-Mexico border. Many of these moves − such as invoking the Alien Enemies Act, a law from the 1700s that is used during wartime to remove noncitizen enemies − were expected.

And some of the changes took immediate effect. Migrants who had already arrived at the U.S. border and had scheduled appointments to begin their asylum application process found yesterday that their appointments were canceled.

But many of Trump’s proposed changes run contrary to U.S. federal law and will likely be met with many legal challenges, according to Jean Lantz Reisz, an immigration scholar at the University of Southern California.

“People have the right to seek asylum under U.S. law, and by shutting the border down, the president is preventing people from exercising that right,” she told me. In our interview, Reisz explains Trump’s new executive orders, as well as the legal obstacles he may face in implementing them.

Politics + Society

Trump promises to end birthright citizenship and shut down the border – a legal scholar explains the challenges these actions could face

Jean Lantz Reisz, University of Southern California

While the president has a broad range of immigration and national security powers, he cannot change US law on his own.

• Lessons from ‘stop and frisk’ can help Philly police use drones to improve safety without compromising civil liberties

  Robert Kane, Drexel University; Jordan Hyatt, Drexel University

  The Philadelphia Police Department plans to expand its use of drones, including as first responders.

• Learning your political opponents don’t actually hate you can reduce toxic polarization and antidemocratic attitudes

  Michael Pasek, University of Illinois Chicago

  A new video intervention shows correcting Americans’ exaggerated views of political opponents can defuse tensions, reduce support for antidemocratic practices and promote a healthier democracy.

Science + Technology

• Electrolyte beverages can help your body stay balanced − but may worsen symptoms if you’re sick

  Bryn Beeder, Miami University

  Electrolyte beverages can be a big help for athletes and during flu season – but some may worsen issues such as diarrhea.

• Why is obesity linked to irregular heart rhythms? Researchers found 1 potential mechanism

  Arvind Sridhar, University of Illinois Chicago

  Obesity can put strain on the heart, resulting in an increased risk of conditions such as atrial fibrillation, or irregular heart rhythms.

Environment + Energy

Agriculture secretary oversees food production, rural life, and nutrition programs that help millions afford healthy diets

Kathleen Merrigan, Arizona State University

The USDA oversees food production and much more. However, it has little direct power to reduce food prices – a centerpiece of President Trump’s cam

Health + Medicine

• Wildfires ignite infection risks, by weakening the body’s immune defences and spreading bugs in smoke

  Christine Carson, The University of Western Australia; Leda Kobziar, University of Idaho

  Wildfires can unleash hidden health threats, including promoting the spread of infections.

Economy + Business

• I’m an economist. Here’s why I’m worried the California insurance crisis could trigger broader financial instability

  Gary W. Yohe, Wesleyan University

  Central bankers agree that climate change poses a threat to the financial system. An insurance crisis is exactly the kind of problem that could spread.

• How nonprofits pitch in before, during and after disasters strike

  Vanessa Crossgrove Fry, Boise State University

  Large organizations often partner with local nonprofits that are uniquely positioned to mobilize quickly, leveraging their deep understanding of community needs and established trust with residents.

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Today’s Smerconish Poll

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Associated Press

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